After a slow start to Premier League life, followed by a prolonged period of frustrating inconsistency, Roberto Firmino is beginning to shine brightly.

The Brazilian continued his recent decisive form with the second goal in Liverpool’s 2-0 Europa League round of 16 first-leg victory over Manchester United.

Meanwhile, on the domestic front, he has now scored seven goals in his last eight Premier League outings, assisting four more in the same timeframe.

He had provided zero in terms of net-bulgers and assisted a solitary strike across the first nine outings after his £29m move from Hoffenheim, notching once in his next nine outings, albeit setting up three for teammates.

The narrative of early days at Anfield that exasperate while hinting at greatness will be familiar to all that witnessed the rise of Luis Suarez for the club.

In the now-Barcelona behemoth’s first campaign and a half on Merseyside he bagged a by-his-own-standards moderate 15 goals across 45 games, marring his often-brilliant showings with less than commensurate finishing.

That Firmino appears to be finding his feet as a goalscoring force a good deal sooner hints tantalizingly at his potential to emulate the Uruguayan.

Thomas cut his teeth in the world of betting punditry writing an illicit blog while seemingly hard at work in the library of one of the country’s foremost seats of learning. Since then he’s been booting in a steady stream of winning wagers across the football, horse racing and boxing worlds for a range of online and print-based publications.

ElectraWorks Limited, the provider of this website, is licensed by the Government of Gibraltar and regulated by the Gibraltar Gambling Commissioner under the Gambling Act 2005. ElectraWorks Limited has been granted a fixed-odds licence (RGL No. 051) and casino licence (RGL N0. 50) for the operation of remote gambling.

Furthermore, ElectraWorks Limited is licensed by the UK Gambling Commission under the Gambling (Licensing and Advertising) Act 2014. ElectraWorks Limited has been granted License No. 000-039011-R-319371-001 for the operation of remote gambling in Britain.